Versatility
by hummerhouse
Summary: The Turtle's attempts to destroy a drug ring take them out of the city and into a situation they might not be ready for. Strictly action/adventure! See if you can keep track of how many ways Donatello uses his Bo staff throughout this tale.
1. Chapter 1

Versatility  
part 1

"Where do you think they're going?" Mikey asked.

"I don't know, but let's not lose them," Leo said, his eyes on the van they were following.

He was happy to note that the driver was taking things slow, carefully stopping at traffic signals and stop signs; never exceeding the speed limit. It made tracking the van much easier, considering Leo and his brothers were on foot; using the roof top shortcuts as a way to compensate for the van's horsepower.

"I'm pretty sure they're headed for the docks," Don said as the smell of sea air hit his nose.

"Warehouse maybe?" Raph asked, leaping across to another building as the van made a turn. "Or it could be a shipping container."

They continued to follow the van, unsurprised when they reached the waterfront. It wasn't long before they ran out of buildings and had to continue their pursuit at ground level. As they were now in a shipping area, there were loaders, cranes, and containers for them to hide behind to avoid being seen.

The van pulled up in front of a gate in a fenced in area of the docks, the driver lowering his window as he waited for the security guard. When the guard reached him, they spoke for a moment, then the driver offered the guard a small roll of bills.

As the guard moved to open the gate, the turtles found a spot further along the fence and leaped over it, the eight foot height no challenge for them.

They watched the van pull onto the dock and continue driving past the small trailer that served as an office.

"They're headed for that cruiser," Don said as he observed the vehicles direction. "It's the only craft tied up right now."

Raph looked around too, seeing that Don was right; there wasn't even a rowboat anywhere to be seen. "Oh shell, that ain't good," he muttered.

"I guess we're getting wet," Mikey said.

They were about to start after the van when Don pulled up short, hissing a warning. When he had everyone's attention, he pointed towards a camera mounted on the corner of the trailer.

From its position, the turtles would have to pass directly in front of it in order to reach the water's edge. Leo glanced at Don quizzically and the genius nodded, signaling that the others should stay put.

Pulling his bo staff from his back, Don reached upwards and pressed the end against the camera. Slowly and carefully, he shifted the camera angle just enough to allow them safe passage.

With that done, the brother's moved in closer to where the van had parked. Crouching behind pillars along the dock, they watched men unload the van and stash large boxes inside the cruiser.

"We're not going to be able to keep up with that once it's under way," Don warned.

"Not if we tried swimming after it," Leo agreed. "We need to hitch a ride."

Don dug into his duffel bag and pulled out a length of rope. While his brothers kept watch, he tied a grappling hook to the end of the rope and then handed it to Raph before hiding his bag for later retrieval.

"I hate to leave my bag," Don whispered regretfully as he stuffed some items from it into his belt, "but it'll weigh me down too much in the water."

"Come on egghead," Raph said, flashing his brother a grin. "We'll manage one night without your bag of tricks."

"I hope those aren't famous last words," Don muttered.

They heard the cruiser's engine start and one of the men jumped out to cast off the lines, leaping back on board as the craft began to pull away.

In a flash the turtles raced along the dock's edge. Swinging the grappling hook overhead, Raph released it with an expert flip of his wrist and it sailed out over the water before connecting with the cruiser's back railing.

Each of the brothers got a firm hand hold on the rope and together they dove into the water. The slack was quickly taken up on the rope as the cruiser's speed increased and the brothers were jerked forward roughly.

Hand over hand the four pulled themselves closer to the boat, which helped to lessen the intensity of the wake pounding against them. From his position on the end of the rope, Mikey flipped onto his carapace, lifting his legs so that he could skim the water's surface on his shell. When his brothers looked back at him, he grinned and gave them the thumbs up signal to show he was having a good time.

Fortunately it was not a long ride. The cruiser began to slow and then turn, giving the turtles a quick glimpse of a small island.

Ahead of them was a makeshift boat dock and the turtles could see a group of men waiting there. In another moment the cruiser's engine was cut off and the craft angled towards the dock.

"Make for the rocks," Leo hissed in an undertone.

Raph waited until his brothers released the rope and then with a quick twisting movement he dislodged the grappling hook from the cruiser's railing. Coiling the rope as he swam, Raph reached the rocky outcropping where his brothers waited and handed the rope to Don, who hid it from sight.

The brothers stealthily made their way nearer the dock, remaining unseen as they studied the ongoing activity. An unmarked panel van stood near the dock and the men loaded the boxes from the cruiser into it.

Once the cargo was completely transferred, one of the dock men handed a wad of cash to the captain of the cruiser. Some words were exchanged in Spanish and then the cruiser pulled away from the island.

"There goes our ride," Mikey said.

Leo turned to Raph and asked, "Did you catch what they were saying?"

While Leo was the most fluent in Japanese, Raph was the one most adept at Spanish, a side benefit of the number of hours he spent topside.

"The guy on the dock told the captain ta come back tomorrow night and pick up a finished order. The captain asked if they needed more supplies and the other guy said no, but they'd call if that changed," Raph interpreted.

"I'm sure that wasn't the only craft on this island," Don said. "There's no way they would strand themselves considering the value of their product."

"We'll worry about how to get home after we find their lab," Leo said. "That reference to 'finished product' indicates to me that the drugs are being manufactured here."

They watched as the van drove away, leaving one armed man behind to stand guard over the dock.

"Should we take him out?" Mikey asked.

"No," Leo said. "He probably reports in at regular intervals and we shouldn't give away our presence any sooner than necessary. Let's skirt around him and follow the van."

One by one they slid off the rocks and followed Leo into the heavily wooded area nearby. The guard's focus was entirely on the dock and open water beyond, never appearing to show any concern for watching the island behind him.

"They always leave the lazy ones ta stand guard," Raph observed with satisfaction.

Keeping the narrow paved road in sight, the brothers moved off in the direction the van had taken, ghosting their way through the woods. In less than a mile the trees played out, giving way to about a hundred yards of open ground that surrounded a fifteen foot tall fence topped with razor wire.

The clearing had obviously been man made and the reason for that was equally as evident. Beyond the first fence was a second line of similar fencing and then a wide courtyard which led to a low, sprawling brick building. On either end were two three-story tall towers.

All four of the brothers squatted down within the covering of trees as they surveyed the building.

"Dude, it looks like a prison," Mikey said.

Don snapped his fingers. "You know what? I think it is," he said excitedly. "This is the island the feds used back in the fifties to detain foreign nationals who were in our country illegally. They were the ones who were on their own countries most wanted lists. The government used this facility as a holding center while the international extradition paperwork was completed."

"So they don't use it anymore?" Raph asked. "Why?"

"Monetary reasons," Don answered. "More and more governments started using planes for prisoner transport and it would have cost too much to put in a landing strip. Plus, the facilities were too small and outdated and lacked the technology they required. Upgrading just cost more than moving inland to a new facility."

"How large would you say this island is?" Leo asked.

"Not very," Don told him. "If you're wondering if there is another set of buildings those drug dealers might be using, I'd say no."

"This is novel, we're gonna have to break _into_ a prison," Mikey said with a laugh.

"We need to destroy their labs, the supplies, and all of the finished product," Leo said, his tone grim. "Not only are those drugs illegal, they're deadly if not cut properly."

"They'll be using generators for electricity," Don guessed. "I don't see any cameras along the fence line, but there are probably some on the building itself. The watch towers are problematic; I don't see anyone in them but I think a guard would only show up if they were standing."

"It's a good thing it's dark out," Raph said.

"Not dark enough," Leo said, glancing up at the crescent moon. "We could use a distraction."

"We ain't in the city anymore bro'," Raph pointed out. "Distractions are hard ta come by out here in the woods."

"Maybe we could set a fire," Mikey said hopefully.

"That would just let 'em know someone's out here," Raph told him.

"The road that the van took has to lead directly to the front gate, which would be over on the left," Leo said. "There are probably armed guards at that gate because it's the most likely entry point. If we could create a distraction in the woods just beyond that point, they would either investigate or have the men in the towers do it."

"And while they're looking in the woods over there, we'd be jumping the fence over here," Mikey finished for him.

"Exactly how are we gonna 'cause a distraction way the shell over there if we're here?" Raph asked. "Ya' want us ta separate?"

"No," Don said before Leo had a chance to speak. "Some unusual noises should do the trick."

"What did you have in mind?" Leo asked, recognizing the look on Don's face.

"Hey Raph, you up for playing a little ball?" Don asked

"Got ya' covered bro'," Raph said as he began picking up some golf ball sized stones.

"Mikey and I will keep an eye on the towers and the front entrance," Leo said. "As soon as you get their attention, come straight back here."

Don and Raph darted through the trees, going in the direction of the road. It only took them a couple of minutes to spot the gate, a double wide expanse of fencing on rollers. Two floodlights on high posts illuminated the approach to the gate.

Standing on one side of the gate was a man holding a rifle and on the other was a small structure that had one time been the guard post. Inside of it was a second man and the turtles could both see the walkie-talkie attached to his belt.

"Ready?" Raph whispered.

"Batter up," Don replied, holding his bo staff like a bat.

Raph pitched one of the stones to him and Don swung, striking it solidly and sending it with unerring accuracy straight into one of the lights. There was a loud clang as the rock bounced inside the aluminum housing, and then the shatter of glass breaking as the light simultaneously winked out.

Don immediately hit another stone into the woods behind the guard shack, making sure that it rustled the tree's leaves. By then the man with the rifle was halfway into the road, his face turned up towards the broken floodlight. The sound from the trees made him spin in that direction, his rifle pointed at the woods.

Raph tossed another stone to Don, who sent in careening into the same set of trees. The rifle man yelled something to the one in the shack and started towards the woods. The man with the walkie-talkie lifted it towards his mouth and a second later, bright lights shone down from the guard towers onto that section of woods.

For safe measure, Don sent one more stone into the foliage and then he and Raph high-tailed it back to where Leo and Mikey were waiting.

Those two had seen the tower lights come on and were already running towards the first line of fencing. Don and Raph veered in their direction and as soon as they were close, Don held his bo staff horizontally in front of him so that his brothers could use it as a springboard to clear the top of the fence.

When his brothers were on the other side, Don ran towards the fence, using his bo to pole vault over it. They swiftly repeated the maneuver in order to scale the second set of fencing and then stayed low as they ran towards an area of the yard that contained several picnic tables.

Using the tables for cover, they surveyed the building in front of them. Don immediately spotted a camera mounted under the eaves on one corner.

"That's a cheap, bargain store camera," Don said. "I recognize the model; it has a limited visual range of only a few feet. The problem is that they have it angled towards the windows."

"We wouldn't be going through them anyway," Leo said. "They're too narrow and I don't want to spend time dealing with iron bars. We need to get onto the roof."

"The best approach is towards the corner of the building so we come up behind the camera," Don said. "We'll have to go one at a time in case there's another camera on the back of the building."

Leo dug out his Shuko spikes and slid them onto his hands. "I'll go first and signal you once I'm on the roof and have verified that it's secure. Keep your eyes open, they may decide to patrol the grounds since they're now on alert."

With a last glance around, Leo darted out from around the table, running low to the ground and covering the open space in a couple of seconds. When he was within a few feet of the wall he leaped at it, his spikes digging into the mortar as he began to climb.

It didn't take long for him to reach the top of the single story building. Peeking over the edge, Leo quickly scanned the surface of the roof, assuring himself that there were no guards and no cameras. Vaulting over the edge, he stayed down in order to blend into the roof top and avoid detection from the men in the towers.

Upon Leo's signal, Raph touched Mikey lightly on his carapace and said, "Go."

Mikey reached the roof top without incident and Raph sent Don scurrying off next. Don had just begun to climb when they heard the dogs.

The loud barking was a good indicator that the animals had caught the scent of intruders and Raph raced out of hiding, making for the corner of the building. Don moved quickly, but was only halfway up when Raph made a flying grab for the brickwork.

Three large mongrels appeared practically out of nowhere, teeth snapping at Raph's legs as he tried to get a toe hold. One of them managed to snag a corner of Raph's knee pad, nearly dislodging the turtle from the wall.

Yanking one of his hands free of the Shuko, Don slid his bo loose and used it to pop the dog across its nose. With a loud yelp, it released Raph and fell to the ground where it began angrily snapping at the other two curs.

Don jumped onto the roof with Raph right behind him and they both turned to look for Leo, knowing that the dogs would attract men with guns. They saw their oldest brother halfway across the roof, standing over a large metal door.

"Come on," Mikey said from right next to them, "Leo found a way inside."

By the time they reached Leo, he had sliced through the padlocked hasp and was pulling the door open. Below them was a short maintenance ladder attached to the wall and a very long drop to the floor below.

"I'm guessing that when the staff needed access to the roof, they took a step ladder out of storage and used it to reach this ladder," Leo said.

"Yeah, before they moved out and locked everything," Raph said. "That's one way ta keep the prisoners from making a quick escape."

"Speaking of quick, we might want to get inside before someone comes up here to see what the dogs are fussing about," Mikey said.

"I'll go first," Raph said. "If I meet up with anymore dogs, I'm gonna bust their noses with my sai."

He perched on the rim of the opening and then dropped onto the ladder. At the bottom rung, he took a look around and saw nothing but a dark, empty corridor. Raph back flipped off of the ladder, landing silently on the floor below before waving his brothers down.

Leo was the last off of the roof and he closed the metal door behind him after hiding the broken hasp. Once all four turtles were together, Don fished his pencil flashlight out and sent the beam down the hallway in both directions to try to get an idea of where they were.

"I saw a blueprint of this building once," Don said quietly. "It isn't very big and the layout is pretty simple."

His brothers knew that one glimpse of the blueprints, no matter how long ago it had been, was enough for it to be burned into Don's eidetic memory.

"So where are we genius?" Raph asked.

Don turned his light onto a nearby doorway and said, "We're just outside of the dorms. It's where the guard's rooms are located. Behind us through a set of barred doors are the detention pods where the prisoners were kept. There's a cafeteria in the center of that section and along the farthest wall is an exercise area.

"In front of us are the kitchen, the laundry, the booking and holding areas, the public area where the entrance we saw is located, and then the administrative offices."

"I didn't see the van at the entrance," Raph said.

"They probably pulled around to the other side of the building where the sally port is for the booking facilities," Don said. "That's closest to the kitchen and my guess would be that's where they're 'cooking' their drugs."

"Then the kitchen is where we need to go," Leo said in a determined tone.

They hadn't taken more than four steps when a deep voice stopped them in their tracks.

"You aren't going anywhere."

TBC….


	2. Chapter 2

Versatility  
part 2

Before the last word had left the man's mouth, all four turtles had drawn their weapons. They had no chance to move though, because a brilliant set of lights hit their eyes from two directions.

"Drop those weapons or we'll shoot holes into those freaky costumes you're wearing," the same man ordered.

Leo could feel Raph tense up next to him and quickly placed an elbow against his brother's plastron to stop him. Turning his head slightly, Leo could make out a group of men standing some distance down the corridor, all of them holding rifles. The way they were pointing those weapons at the turtles left no doubt in Leo's mind that they knew how to use them.

"There are some behind us too," Don whispered, knowing what Leo had seen.

As the turtles hesitated, one group of lights was lowered slightly and a burly man covered in tattoos snapped his fingers. On either side of him two sets of snarling hounds appeared; the only thing holding them back was the tight hold a pair of men had on their leashes.

"Last chance," the tattooed man said. "Drop them or die right there."

"Do what he says," Leo ordered, slowly lowering his katanas to the floor.

"What the shell, Leo? We don't give up our weapons," Raph argued heatedly.

"Live to fight another day, Raph," Leo said from the corner of his mouth. "We'll wait for the odds to turn in our favor."

Mikey and Don released their weapons, lifting their hands in the air. Raph snarled under his breath and finally tossed his sais to the floor with a loud clatter.

"Ya' better hope they don't shoot us where we stand or you and me are gonna have words, Leo," Raph said in a low tone as he raised his hands, palms outward.

"I'd just kill you now," Tattoo said, almost as if he'd heard Raph, "but I don't know where you came from or who you're working for. Until I find that out, you might be more worthwhile alive. Turn around and start walking. If you try anything funny, we'll shoot first and ask questions later."

Turning as they were told, the four brothers marched past the point where they'd entered, following the corridor until they saw the heavily barred door at the other end. Before they reached it, the men who were in front of them opened the door, entering first and then carefully standing far outside of the turtles reach as they waited for their prisoners to pass.

Another man, further ahead, waved the turtles to the right and through another open bar covered door. They found themselves in a small anteroom, empty except for a table. To the right of the table was another smaller room, its brick walls bare and somber, without even a window to break the gloom.

"Inside," one of their captors grunted.

After the brothers filed into the room, the solid metal door was slammed shut behind them. Other than the door's narrow, rectangular opening midway down and a tiny window at eye level that was protected by two thick bars, the turtles had no view of the outside world.

"Get comfortable," the tattooed man said as he stepped into the anteroom, "you're going to be there for a while. Getting to this island and in here without being caught shows a level of skill that to my mind means military training. That also means we aren't going near you until you're too starved to put up a fight when it comes time to question you. See you later, ladies."

With a laugh, he and his men exited the anteroom and slammed the barred door shut.

Don played his pencil flash around the room, verifying their first glimpse of it. There was a bench against one wall that had at some point held a mattress and attached to the back wall was a toilet filled with foul smelling water.

Raph kicked the door with the back of his foot, a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his plastron. "Ain't this peachy."

Sitting down on the bench, Mikey said, "Maybe we could pull the toilet off the wall and tunnel our way out."

"Without tools? That would take forever," Don said.

"Thanks for your optimism," Mikey grumbled.

"I don't see any guards and they left our weapons on the table," Leo said, peering through the door window.

"Fat lot of good that will do us," Raph said morosely. "Unless you've suddenly turned into Reed Richards those weapons might just as well be on the moon."

Don squeezed past Raph to join Leo at the door. Squatting down, he lifted the metal flap that covered the food tray slot and looked into the anteroom. A faint light filtering in through the barred door allowed him to see their weapons well enough to note that his bo staff had been left leaning against the table. Standing, he pressed his face against the cold metal so that he could see through the bars and noticed that the keys to their prison were hanging on a hook next to the door.

"I've got an idea," Don said excitedly. "Give me your belts."

"What did you have in mind?" Leo asked, passing his belt over to Don.

As Don tied their belts together and formed a slip knot at one end, he said, "I'm hoping I can lasso a way out of here."

Squatting in front of the food tray slot once more, Don held his hand as flat as possible and slid it through the opening. He managed to get his hand, wrist and part of his forearm through the space before it became too small. Very carefully, he fed the belts through the opening to his outstretched hand, keeping a good grip on the free end of the line.

There was just enough space left in the slot for Don to be able to press one eye against the opening to see what he was aiming for. Squinting at his target, Don began to spin the belt rope, releasing it when he'd gained enough momentum.

The lasso sailed through the air and the slip knot fell over the end of the bo staff. As soon as the loop passed over the bo, Don yanked on the rope belt, tightening it around the staff.

"Got it!" Don yelled, pulling the staff towards him.

Moving slowly to avoid having the bo slide free of the makeshift rope, Don brought his weapon within reach of his free hand. Once he had a tight grip on it, he shook the belt rope free and tossed it back towards his brothers.

Raph heard the bo tap against the door and snidely asked, "Ya' grabbed your bo? What good is that gonna do us? Why didn't ya' snag a useful weapon?"

"Because the rest of them are too short," Don answered, carefully shifting his hold on the staff. "Leo, I can't see from down here. Can you guide me?"

Leo leaned in so that he could see through the barred window to where the keys were hanging. While he was getting into position, Don pulled the bo in closer, holding it at an angle with the top end touching the door.

"Extend it another foot and a half," Leo instructed.

Playing his fingers along the bo, Don fed more of the staff in the direction of the keys. The end of the bo came into contact with the door frame and Don lifted it enough to get over the obstruction before pushing it further along.

"You're just under the keys," Leo said. "Slide the end up until I say stop."

Doing as he was told, Don inched the bo upwards, making sure it maintained contact with the wall.

"Stop," Leo called. "Swing the end out about a half inch and you've got them."

The distinct rattle of keys told Don he was successful. Giving the end of the bo a small shake, he dislodged the keys and they slid down the wood staff until they came to a stop against Don's hand.

Reaching through the opening with the fingers on his other hand, Don got a good solid grip on the key ring and released his bo. Pulling both hands back inside the cell, Don found the correct key and quickly unlocked the door.

"Whoa Donny, you the turtle!" Mikey exclaimed, darting over to the table where he quickly retrieved his nunchucks.

After Don tied his belt back into place, he scooped up his staff, looking over at Raph who was lovingly spinning his sais. When the red banded turtle glanced up, Don winked at him.

"Okay, I'll give ya' that one, brainiac," Raph said with a chuckle.

Leo was already at the other door, looking to see if guards had been posted. There was no one in sight and he signaled to Don, who slid in beside him and unlocked the door.

"So how do we avoid getting caught again?" Mikey asked, joining his brothers in the empty corridor.

"The dogs gave us away the last time," Leo said. "Since they think we're safely locked up, they've probably got the dogs patrolling the perimeter along the fence line. Didn't you say there was an exercise yard in this section of the prison, Donny?"

"It's that way," Don said, pointing to the right. "It's walled in on all sides though."

"But open at the top so that the prisoners could get some fresh air, right?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Don said. "There's probably razor wire along the top edge though."

"We'll deal with it when we reach it," Leo said. "We're going back up to the roof through the yard. We won't come down until we get to the sally port."

"There will be a double set of doors for us to get through once we're there," Don warned.

"No doubt locked and probably guarded," Leo said with a nod. "I'll decide on the best approach once we have that entry in sight. How far is it from the booking facilities to the kitchen?"

"Through the booking area to the corridor is about forty yards," Don said. "Take a left, go another ten yards and the next entrance on the left takes you into the kitchen."

"Where we get shot on sight," Raph said.

"This time the element of surprise is on our side," Leo said grimly. "We take them down, one by one, without showing ourselves. No more dropping into an ambush."

The tone of Leo's voice told his brothers that he was angry with himself for them getting caught earlier. They had all made the error of believing these men to be the average not too bright drug dealers. From the way the operation was handled, it was obvious this was drug running on a much larger scale. Probably even cartel related.

Moonlight filtered in through the reinforced glass window set in the door that led to the exercise yard. Don was looking at the set of keys on the ring as they approached the door, trying to determine if he had the one that would open it.

Don glanced up just as Leo was about to step onto a large rubber mat sitting just in front of the door. Lunging forward, he grabbed Leo's arm and jerked him to a stop.

"Wait," Don said, staring uneasily at the mat. "Don't you think that if they expected anyone to get in here, it would be by trying to come in through the yard?"

The others followed his gaze and Mikey said, "Maybe it's electrified."

Don slid his bo free and touched the end to the mat, but nothing happened. Carefully, he slipped the bo under one edge and flipped the mat aside.

On the floor were several small pressure switches, similar to 'bouncing betty's'. Though not large enough to immediately kill, they had the potential to seriously maim anyone who stepped on one, possibly even separating them from their foot.

They were set close enough together so that if one went off, it would trigger a chain reaction in the others. A short wire was attached to the one nearest the door and Don's eyes followed the wire up to where it was hooked to an alarm.

"That's a wireless circuit," Don said, pointing at the alarm with his staff. "Tattoo probably has the receiver with him. When the explosions go off, they trigger the alarm which in turn notifies him that there are intruders."

"And then he does what? Sends in the cleaning detail?" Raph asked, face wrinkling in disgust.

"Probably has his men come in here and finish off the ones who haven't already bled to death," Don said in a distracted manner as he touched one of the pressure switches with his bo.

"What are you doing, Donny?" Mikey asked, slightly alarmed at how his brother was so nonchalantly playing with the explosives.

"They aren't fixed to the floor," Don said. "I'm just going to push them aside. Stay back in case one of them is really sensitive and decides to go off."

"I like how he says that as though something blowing up in his face is no big deal," Mikey said as he took a big step back.

Years of handling explosives kept Don's hands steady as he shoved the pressure switches out of the way. It only took him a few minutes, but to the other turtles it felt like an hour.

"What about that alarm?" Leo asked. "We may have to duck back in here pretty fast."

Having dealt with the dangerous explosives, Don stepped over to take a close look at the alarm. After a second, he used his pen knife to remove the cover and then gently cut the wire just below where it was hooked into the device.

"There," Don said, sealing the cover back into place. "Now it thinks it's still all hooked up."

"Can we go now?" Raph asked impatiently.

Don held up the key he thought would open the door and passed the key ring over to Leo. A solid click verified Don's selection and Leo swung the door back, carefully surveying the area before stepping out.

Once they were outside, Don pushed the mat back into place and pulled the door almost all of the way shut. If they had to move back inside fast, they weren't going to waste time with a lock.

"Back to the roof," Mikey sang out, shoving his hands into his Shuko spikes. "I feel like we're going in circles."

"I'm ready ta hit something," Raph said as they started their ascent. "I think I'll make Tattoo eat one of his guns."

When they reached the top, Leo sliced the strands of razor wire, opening a gap for the turtles to squeeze through. Cognizant of the men in the towers, the brothers spread out, using the air conditioning units, vents, and various other roof top objects to hide their progress.

Don gave a low whistle when they reached the part of the building where the booking facilities were. Spreading out along the roof's edge, the four looked down at the entry.

The roof of the sally port was lower than that of the main building. There were doors on either side of the entry and no guard to be seen.

"I'll bet there's a guy inside," Raph said in a low voice. "Maybe even a dog. They're gonna hear us trying ta get one of those doors open."

"Then we'll get him to open it for us," Leo said. He leaped nimbly down to the roof of the sally port, his brothers following suit.

Lying on his plastron, Leo unsheathed one of his katana, using it to reach down towards the door. It wasn't quite long enough though, so Leo glanced over at Don.

"Donny, can you do the honors?" Leo asked.

"No sweat, bro'," Don whispered, crawling forward to take Leo's place.

Reaching down with his bo staff, Don scraped the end of it along the door, producing a squeaking sound. He did this a few times and then raised the bo above the top of the door and waited.

After a couple of minutes, Don heard the lock being turned back and the door slowly began to move. When it was about a quarter of the way open, a man stuck his upper body outside and looked around, his rifle at the ready.

Swinging his staff, Don struck the guard a resounding blow on his temple. With a slight moan, the man crumpled in the doorway.

Don slipped off of the roof, dropping in a crouch next to the man. A quick look past him into the interior of the entry verified that the unconscious guard had been the only one inside and that there were no cameras.

Waving his brothers down, Don held the door open for them and then pulled the guard back in so that the door could close. Between them, Don and Mikey maneuvered the man into a chair, propping his shoulder against a wall with his face towards the outer door. To the casual observer, it would look as though he was taking it easy while on duty.

Raph emptied the rifle, tossing the ammunition outside before tucking the weapon into the man's arms to finish off the picture.

Meanwhile, Leo was trying the large metal door that led directly into the booking facility.

"Locked," Leo said, keeping his voice low.

Mikey dipped into the guard's pockets and found a set of keys, which he tossed to Leo. As Leo tried each one on the lock, Don peered through the small window that was set in the door, pressing his face against it and looking above the thresh hold.

Just as the lock clicked back and Leo began turning the door handle, Don spotted a string leading from the handle to a familiar looking device attached to the door frame. It was another explosive.

TBC….


	3. Chapter 3

Versatility  
part 3 final

"Freeze," Don hissed, his eyes wide as they shot down to Leo's hand.

There wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation as Leo did exactly what Don told him to do. His hand remained on the handle, as completely immobile as Leo himself.

"What is it?" Mikey asked from behind them.

"The door is booby trapped," Don said. "A string attached to the door handle on the inside goes directly to a pin on an explosive device. You might have already pulled it too far. Don't move."

If Leo were given to cursing, he would have probably already said a few choice words. Instead he waited as Don carefully slid his bo staff upwards between the handle and the door, watching as Don pulled back until the staff was solidly pressed against the handle.

"On the count of three, jump back fast," Don said. "One, two, _three_!"

Leo sprang backwards with a giant leap and Don turned his head to the side. However, nothing happened and after waiting for a couple of minutes, Don released the breath he was holding.

"Now what?" Raph asked, staring at Don who was still holding the door handle.

"I'm going to try to pull back on the door a tiny bit. If I can get it open enough for Leo's katana to slide through, he can cut the string," Don answered.

The other three watched as Don used his bo staff to further open the door by a very minute amount. He stopped when he saw that there was a gap wide enough for Leo's blade to fit through.

Leo pushed his sword through the opening and cleanly sliced the string in two, moving back swiftly. It did the trick; there was no explosion and Don freed his bo from the door handle.

Moving around so that he could peek through the opening, Don was happy to note that they'd bypassed the booby trap and there weren't anymore. There was however a camera above the doorframe.

"There's a camera just inside the doorway," Don whispered. "It's pointed down in order to pick up any activity at this entry point."

Leo looked at him, brow furrowed. "How do we get past it without alerting anyone to our presence?"

Don thought for a moment, his brothers remaining quiet while he pondered their options. Suddenly Don snapped his fingers.

"I have an idea," Don said, darting over to the unconscious guard.

Patting him down quickly, Don discovered the man's cell phone. Activating the camera, Don nodded to Leo, who pulled the door open.

Without exposing any part of his body to either camera, Don took a couple of pictures of the floor, tilting the phone at different angles. Looking through the shots, he found one that would do the trick.

Handing the phone to Raph, who was the tallest, Don said, "Stick your hand up near the corner of the doorway. When I tell you to, put the screen right up against the camera."

Reaching up, Raph held the phone ready as Don once more drew his bo. From the other corner of the doorway, Don slid the end of the staff across until it touched the camera wires and then jiggled them in order to create a moment of static for anyone watching.

"Now," Don hissed.

Raph immediately pressed the phone against the camera lens. As he held it there, his brothers filed into the room.

"I hope ya' ain't planning on having me stand here holding this damn thing while ya' go off and take care of business," Raph said.

"I don't know, you look pretty comfy to me," Mikey said with a grin.

As Raph growled in response, Don said, "I need a piece of string, or twine; anything like that."

Digging into his belt, Mikey produced a yo-yo. "Will this do?" he asked.

"Perfect," Don said, snapping the string off of Mikey's toy.

"Dude," Mikey said, staring at the yo-yo after Don handed it back to him.

"I'll fix it when we get home," Don promised. "Come over here and help me with this."

Mikey was a couple of inches taller than Don and took the string from his brother, tying it around the phone and the camera in order to hold the former in place. Once it was secured, Raph let go and stepped back.

"Ya' think that'll work?" Raph asked.

"I certainly hope so," Don said.

"Let's not wait around here to find out," Leo said, starting off in the direction of the central corridor. "Stay alert."

"Oh we will big brother. Just try not to get stuck in any more booby traps," Raph couldn't resist saying as he followed Leo.

Along the way the brothers passed several small holding cells, something that looked like a conference room, a guard station, and a space filled with empty shelves. It all appeared about as inviting as the room they'd been locked into earlier.

Partway through, Mikey lifted his head and sniffed the air. "Do you guys smell that?"

"Yes," Don answered. "Those are the chemicals they use for producing their drugs."

"Must be what the van was carrying from the city," Raph said.

Leo stopped at the door which led out to the corridor, signaling his brothers to get down as he surveyed the area through the reinforced glass windows. "How volatile would you say those chemicals are, Donny?" he asked.

"Very," Don answered.

"There are probably a few people in there with those volatile chemicals too," Mikey reminded them.

"It'd serve 'em right if they got their asses blown off," Raph said gruffly.

"Maybe so, but we aren't going to be the ones responsible for that happening," Leo said. "We need to get everyone away from this section of the building so that Don can set off an explosion big enough to destroy that lab."

"And big enough to attract the harbor patrol," Mikey said. "Otherwise they'll just start over again."

Don and Mikey looked at each other and began to grin.

"What?" Raph asked, seeing the exchange.

"Smoke pellets dude?" Mikey asked.

"Smoke pellets," Don agreed.

Leo's eyes brightened. "We'll make them think the place is on fire. That should send everyone running away from here, at least for a few minutes. Can you set up something to destroy their lab in that short a period of time, Don?"

With a movement that was reminiscent of a magician's sleight of hand, Don produced one of the pressure switches they'd gotten past earlier.

"Have you been carrying that this whole time?" Raph yelped, stepping away from his brother.

Don laughed. "I neutralized it by stuffing some paper wads between the plate and the blast cap. Remove the paper, add pressure, and boom! I thought it might come in handy."

"Someday you're gonna blow yourself ta smithereens and I'm gonna say I told ya' so," Raph said darkly.

"Haven't done it yet," Don said happily, eyes sparkling as he examined his new toy.

Leo ignored their exchange, busy trying the guard's keys on the door. Finding none that worked, he checked the keys they'd taken from their prison cell, but couldn't find a fit there either.

Bending to examine the lock, Leo said, "This looks new. They probably replaced the one on the kitchen door too, in order to limit access."

"Move over, I've got a key right here," Raph said, one sai already spinning in his hand.

With a hard jab and the flick of his wrist, Raph popped the lock open. Verifying that no one was in sight, he slid into the corridor, hugging the wall next to the door.

"We'll set off smoke pellets inside the room and the corridor in that direction," Leo said, pointing to their right. "When the people run out of the kitchen, they'll move away from us to avoid the secondary fire. Toss your pellets far enough into the kitchen so they won't think the door is blocked. After everyone leaves, we'll guard the corridor while Don rigs his explosion and then we get out of here."

"I'm ready ta pick that lock," Raph said, holding up his sai.

"Quietly," Leo reminded him. "We don't want them to see us throw the pellets."

Leo stood in the corridor behind Raph, watching for guards. Mikey remained in the open doorway, his smoke pellets ready in his hand. As Raph silently broke the lock on the kitchen door, Don handed his pellets to Mikey, who glided into the corridor in back of Leo.

With military precision, Raph pulled the door open wide enough for he and Leo to throw their smoke pellets inside. At the same moment, Mikey tossed all of his into the corridor and yelled, "Fire!"

The effect was immediate as men began shouting from inside the kitchen. After closing the door, Raph, Leo, and Mikey flattened themselves against the wall, the billowing smoke hiding their forms.

In less than a second the kitchen door slammed open again and men came pouring out into the corridor. When they saw the smoke, they all turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Raph and Mikey stepped away from the wall and followed the men partway, verifying that they were indeed fleeing the area. Leo darted into the kitchen to make sure that it was empty.

"Hey you! What the hell's going on?"

The shout from inside the smoke filled portion of the corridor turned the two brightly banded turtles in that direction. Through the swirling mist a large man came barreling towards them, his hand moving towards the gun in his holster.

Just as he reached the doorway where Don was standing, the turtle swung his bo staff high up into the guard's path. The man didn't see the obstruction in time and smacked right into it, clotheslining himself before falling in an unconscious heap on the floor.

"He ain't gonna be eating solids for a while," Raph said with a chuckle.

"Mikey, can you pull him in here as far from the kitchen as possible?" Don asked. "Shove him in one of the holding cells under a table."

"Can do, Donny," Mikey said, grabbing the man's legs and dragging him past where Don was standing.

"All clear. Get in here Don, I don't know how much time we have," Leo instructed.

Don entered the kitchen quickly, his eyes darting left and right as he took in the drug cooking operating. The smell of chemicals was strong and Don grabbed a breathing mask off of a wall peg, tying it across his nose slits and mouth.

It was obvious right off that Don would need to control the explosion he wanted to create otherwise he and his brothers wouldn't be far enough away to avoid injury. Knowing that he would somehow have to time the trigger for his sabotage, Don looked for anything he might be able to use to serve that purpose.

When his eyes fell on a counter balancing weight scale, an idea struck him. Grabbing the scale, Don carried it over to a table where a Bunsen burner had been left on. Sweeping his arm across one end of the table cleared it of the empty containers that were sitting there and Don set the scale down.

Darting swiftly across the room, Don grabbed several baggies of crack cocaine off a table filled with finished product. Tearing a couple of them open, he spilled the contents into one of the pans, and then filled the other pan with an equal amount, so that the scale remained balanced.

That done, Don gathered several large bottles filled with highly flammable liquids, setting some on the table, and putting some on the floor nearby. Satisfied with his setup, Don placed his pressure switch on top of an upturned metal pot and carefully removed the wadding.

"You almost done in there?" Leo called softly from the doorway.

"Give me another minute and then be ready to run like shell," Don said, his eyes never leaving the pressure switch.

One last time Don surveyed his arrangement and then slid the Bunsen burner under one of the scales. The fire began to dance beneath the metal pan, heating the crack cocaine inside.

Walking backwards, Don grabbed his bo staff and slowly pushed the pot holding the pressure switch explosive underneath the other scale pan. He could already see smoke rising from the first pan and the almost imperceptive tilt of the scale.

Turning, Don ran as fast as he could for the door, yelling out, "Go, go, go!"

Leo held the door open for him and Don practically slammed into the wall opposite it as he exited the kitchen. Without another word, the brothers raced after Leo, who took them in the direction of the dorms where they'd originally entered the building.

From behind them, the turtles heard a sudden shout from the tattooed drug lord. "It's the prisoners! They've escaped! Get them!"

Eyes wide, Don spun around on his heel and called out in warning, "Stay back!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when a muffled explosion came from the kitchen. Don saw the tattooed man skid to a stop and then begin back pedaling, his arms out to push his men away.

"Don!" Leo shouted, getting his attention.

As Don turned another louder explosion shook the building. The metal kitchen door flew off its hinges and slammed partway through the wall. The concussion was so great that it knocked the turtles off of their feet, sending them tumbling along the corridor.

Pushing himself up, Don looked back to see flames licking the walls of the corridor as they shot through the open kitchen door. Ugly black smoke rolled out around the edges, the real kind that carried a promise of stinging eyes and seared lungs.

With a jump, Don shot down the corridor away from the smoke and fire. Raph was in the lead, moving so fast it didn't seem as if his feet were touching the floor.

"Got to get out," Don panted, speaking loud enough for his brothers to hear. "The fire hasn't reached the full store of chemicals yet. It'll take part of the roof off when it goes."

There was another loud blast from the kitchen, followed by a jolt strong enough to jostle the turtles. Overhead they heard several thumping noises, as though something heavy was raining down on the roof.

Raph reached the maintenance ladder first. With a giant bound, he caught hold of the bottom rung and began climbing. At the top he pushed against the metal door, but it only opened partway.

"Damn, something's blocking the door," Raph called down to his brothers.

Going high enough on the ladder so that he could press his carapace against the door, Raph shoved with all his might, but still couldn't get the door to open all the way.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked.

Raph managed to get a look through the opening and saw a large object lying partially atop the door.

"It's one of the turbines," Raph said. "I can't roll it off of here and I can't reach it ta push it out of the way."

"Hang on," Don told him, jumping onto the ladder and scrambling up.

Raph braced himself against the edge of the opening as Don climbed up to where Raph's feet were planted on the top rung. Reaching down, Raph grabbed Don's arm and helped him get high enough so that they were face to face.

Linking their arms at the elbows to keep each other steady, Don and Raph pushed the bo staff through the opening and towards the turbine. When they had most of it locked into place, the brothers combined their strength and pushed down on the end of the staff.

Nothing happened at first, then slowly the obstruction began to give way. There was a distinct _pop, pop, pop_ from the direction of the kitchen, the sounds serving as a reminder that time was of the essence. The brothers glanced at each other and then bore down hard on the makeshift fulcrum.

The loud shriek of metal against metal could be heard over the roaring sounds of the hungry fire that was making its way along the corridor. Suddenly the turbine slid away, rolling along the roof as the door swung open with a bang.

It happened so fast that Don almost fell from his perch, but Raph slapped a hand down on the edge of the opening and kept his elbow locked around Don's. Once they recovered their balance, both turtles vaulted onto the roof.

They didn't need to call down to Leo or Mikey as each appeared split seconds later. The roof was covered with debris that had either blown loose or been shaken free. That was enough of a warning to them that they weren't out of danger yet.

"Back the way we came!" Leo ordered, running for the edge of the roof top.

Getting down was much easier than going up; the brothers leaped for it, the jump no higher than many of the ones they performed every day in the city.

Leo and Raph were out in front, hopping over the picnic tables to save time. Don glanced back to check on Mikey's progress and nearly ran head first into a man who had just darted around from the side of the building.

Don's bo was in his hands before the man could lift the gun he was holding. A quick twist of the wrist brought the staff snapping down on the man's hand, causing him to drop the weapon. Following the move seamlessly, Don jabbed the end of the bo into the man's stomach and as the man bent over, Don struck him on the head.

Turning to locate Mikey, Don saw that his younger brother had been jumped by a second man. Mikey's spinning nunchucks made short work of his assailant and the two turtles took off to catch up to their brothers, leaving the unconscious men where they lay.

Raph and Leo had stopped to make sure their siblings didn't require assistance. As soon as they saw the situation was taken care of, they made straight for the fence. When they drew close to it, Leo pulled his katanas, preparing to slice their way through.

The vicious barking and snarling they heard coming from the front of the building was the tip-off that the dogs were on to them. Slicing the fence open was not a good option; it would only make it easier for the dogs to get to them.

Raph pulled his sais and turned. "If those dogs want ta play, I say bring it on!" he shouted angrily.

Don held his bo out as he'd done before and Mikey bounced off of it, hurtling over the fence.

Just before Leo did likewise, he yelled, "The dogs are a stalling tactic for the men with guns. Let's go Raph!"

With a growl more venomous than the ones the dogs were producing, Raph tucked his weapons back into his belt and availed himself of Don's assistance. By the time Don joined them between the two fence lines, Leo had cut a way through the outer fence.

Looking back over his shoulder as they began to cross the open space towards the woods, Mikey saw the dogs race up to the fence line.

"Raph, it's a good thing you didn't try to stand and deliver bro'," Mikey said.

"What the shell are ya' talking about?" Raph asked, ducking to avoid a low hanging tree limb.

"I think they opened up the kennel 'cause there's a lot more than three dogs now," Mikey told him.

The barking had turned into a cacophony of sound; brutal and bloodthirsty, the dogs wailed and howled with such energy that the turtles began to wonder if they had ever been fed. Perhaps that was the point, the dogs were trained to kill, they were meant to kill. The only reason they were on the island was to kill.

A shrill whistle, loud enough to be heard above the sounds made by the dogs, halted the frenzy of noise for the tick of a second. When the barking began again, it was obvious the dogs had changed direction.

"They're letting them out the front gate. How many dogs were there, Mikey?" Leo asked, darting around dark tree trunks set against a dark background with unerring accuracy.

"At least fifteen," Mikey answered.

"Great, by the time we fought 'em off, the guys with rifles would be on top of us," Raph said.

A sudden deafening explosion ripped through the air, vibrating the ground beneath their feet. Sliding to a stop, all four of the turtles looked back in the direction of the prison building, seeing the flash of flames above the canopy of trees.

"Bet the harbor patrol sees that," Mikey observed in awe. "When you decide to blow something up, you really do a good job of it, Donny."

"Why thank you, Mikey," Don responded with exaggerated politeness.

The sound of barking drew nearer. "Admire him later, we're about ta have company," Raph warned.

Leo darted off in a direction that led slightly away from the road. "Come on. I saw a trail from the dock going along the shoreline in this direction. Maybe we can find a way off this island that doesn't involve swimming."

"And if we can't?" Mikey asked.

"Then we swim," Leo said. "And we'd better be fast enough to avoid bullets."

"No fun dude," Mikey complained.

"Think of it as a challenge, Mikey," Don told him.

"You think of it as a challenge," Mikey said. "To me it's just pressure. I hate performing under pressure. We gotta move faster."

To emphasize his point, he sped up, running past Leo. They were staying just ahead of the dogs, but could tell by the sounds from behind them that the animals were spreading out in order to circle their prey.

In the lead, Mikey burst through the undergrowth and onto the rocky shoreline. The area was wide open and uneven, the boulder strewn ground a landmine of potential broken bones.

As his eyes swept the open expanse, Mikey spotted a small rowboat in the water near a section of rocks that spilled into the ocean.

"Boat!" Mikey yelled, pushing past tufts of rough grass as he darted towards it.

Splashing through the thigh deep water, Mikey clambered into the boat. Don and Raph were seconds behind him and then once Leo saw that his brothers were safe, he sheathed the swords he'd drawn to fight off the dogs and joined his siblings.

"Let's move this thing!" Raph shouted, searching the bottom of the boat for a paddle and finding none.

"Shell!" Mikey exclaimed. "Here come the dogs!"

Snarling hounds bounded into the open, teeth bared as they leaped across the uneven boulders towards the grounded boat. Whipping out his bo, Don jumped into the stern and planted the staff firmly against a protruding boulder, shoving against it with all his might.

The boat gave a lurch and then slid smoothly out into the water. Reaching below the surface with his staff, Don touched the mud beneath them and once more pushed as hard as he could, sending the small craft flying away from the shore.

As they rounded the curve of the shoreline, the brothers spotted Tattoo and a group of his men rushing into the open behind the dogs. Seeing the man lift his rifle to his shoulder, Don sat down quickly, ducking low in the boat as the man fired off a shot.

His first attempt missed them completely, but before he or any of his men could try again, the sound of sirens caught their attention. Coming towards the island at a fast clip were several heavily manned harbor patrol boats. With a shout, the men scattered, running back under the cover of trees.

"We need to get around to the other side of the island before they see us," Leo said.

"How? We ain't got a paddle!" Raph exclaimed. "Damn turtle luck running true ta form."

"Get up," Don told him, standing quickly.

Raph rose from his seat, glaring at Don. "What the shell . . . .?" he began.

Don kicked the wooden seat hard, prying it loose from the boat. Stripping off one of his elbow pads, Don deftly tied the seat to his staff and then shoved it into a startled Raph's hands.

"Paddle. I think I've done enough for one night," Don said before sitting back down.

Raph grumbled under his breath as he dipped the makeshift oar into the water, but Don ignored his complaints, leaning back to look up at the moonlit sky.

It really was a very nice night.

END

Were you counting?

To move a camera

As a bat

Springboard (twice)

Pole vault (twice)

Dog deterrent

To reach keys

To check for electrical currents

To push aside explosives

As a lure

As a sedative for bad guys

To secure a door handle

To open a booby trapped door

To jiggle wires

As a 'clothesline' (ouch!)

To stay at arms distance from his own booby trap

As a fulcrum

As a weapon in a fight (go figure)

To dislodge a grounded boat

To propel a boat away from shore

As a paddle


End file.
